Family Ties: A History
by Evil Remy
Summary: Bits & Pieces from the past in the lives of the Family Ties characters. M for language.
1. Chapter 1

Greetings from my holiday in Australia! This was posted before, but I'm reposting them now. They're snippets of the past from Family Ties

The Texan Twin Terrors

_**August 15**__**th**__** 1988**_

Charlie

I'm sitting on the porch, watching the kids run around. Those kids have so much energy, it astounds me. Emmett is chasing Bells around the yard with a water gun. Poor kid doesn't stand a chance. I love my daughter, but her sense of balance is none-existent. I have to hold back a laugh as she trips over air, flying straight into the inflatable paddling pool Renee set up in the garden. She lands with a splash, before emerging from the water looking like a drowned rat. At least the kids were already in their bathing suits.

"Cannonball!" Emmett yells, before jumping in beside her. Bella's worried face turns joyful, as they start to splash each other. I crack open one of the beer's that Renee put in the cooler for me, and pick up today's paper.

After a couple of hours, the weather starts to cool, and I pull the kids out of the pool, wrapping them in towels. I've just finished drying off Bella, when I hear the sounds of kids yelling. Strange. There are no other kids on our street. I head towards the bottom of the driveway, Emmett and Bella trailing behind me.

A new family has moved into empty house across the street. Four blondes are climbing out of a pick-up truck. The couple are each trying to calm down the two kids. They look horrified, and refusing to go anywhere near the house.

I notice two brunette heads bobbing past me. Shit, the kids. I race after them. Emmett checks the street, before pulling Bella across the road in the direction of the crying kids. Strange. Bella and Emmett aren't really the sociable types.

"Emmett! Bella!" I yell, chasing my children across the street. The adults are looking at the two children, shock evident on their faces. Oh fuck, they're going to think we can't control our kids. Trust Emmett to make a fantastic first impression.

Emmett pulls to a stop next to the little girl, a wide grin on his face, and Bella collides into him.

"Oof!" She says, before falling backwards flat on her ass. The kids have stopped crying, and the little boy has started to giggle.

"Hey! I'm Emmett Swan, and that's my little sister, Bella!" Emmett exclaims to the little girl, flashing her a grin. The little boy is helping Bells to her feet.

"Sorry. They managed to escape," I tell the parents, while the kids introduce themselves.

"Oh it's fine. They managed to stop the kids crying, so thank you," The woman replies, looking relieved.

"I'm Charlie Swan, my wife Renee and I live across the street," I explain, shaking the man's hand.

"I'm Nathaniel Whitlock, and this is my wife Maria. Those terrors are Jasper and Rosalie. We just moved here from Texas," he says. I shake her hand before turning to the kids. They are all talking animatedly.

"Come over! You can come play in the pool!" Emmett shouts excitedly. Jasper and Rosalie turn to their parents expectantly.

"Can we Daddy, please?" Rosalie asks, her accent strong.

"Yeah. Please Dad. Can we?" Jasper asks, looking equally excited.

"If it's okay with Mr. Swan," Nathaniel says, looking at me.

"Of course!" I say with a smile.

"Thanks. The kids were going a little stir crazy from sitting in the car all day. We can actually unpack some of the stuff as well" Maria says.

I leave the Whitlock's, taking the kids back across the street. Emmett has Rosalie by the hand, both of them practically vibrating with excitement. Jasper and Bella are more subdued, and the little blond haired boy has hold of my daughter's hand, smiling shyly at her.

Looks like I'm going to have to get the shot-gun out a lot earlier than planned.


	2. Chapter 2

These won't be in any chronological order, this one is so I don't have to go into a lot of explanations for the next chapter. It I'll make sense. I promise.

**B****ig Crash**

_**Saturday, November 13**__**th**__** 1999**_

Jasper

"Come on sugar. Pretty please?" I plead to my best friend. She shoots me an exasperated glare.

"Oh fine. I don't know why you want to see this film so damn badly," She growls.

"It's Kevin Smith! You loved Clerks. And you'll love this. I promise," I say, slinging an arm around her shoulder. Her face breaks into a smile.

"I know," She smirks.

"You sneaky… You were messing with me?" I ask, a little shocked.

"Of course I was, fuckwit," She grins.

"For that, you can buy the tickets."

"Fine. But you're buying the popcorn," She grins.

"Of course I am," I smile at her. This is the first time in what feels like forever that we've been together, just the two of us. And I've really fucking missed it. No Edward or Alice. Just us.

We leave Bella's house, climbing into her dinky little car. It's a piece of crap, but between this, and the Jacob Black's monster of a truck, I can see why she'd want this one. It's a bit more… discreet?

The radio in her car doesn't work, and the tape that's in there has been stuck since the day she put it on. 'Hello Rockview' was my favourite Less Than Jake album. But we've had to listen to it every day for over a year. It kind of makes me want to tear my hair out.

The drive to Port Angeles is awesome. We talk and laugh and you'd never be able to guess that we haven't done this in over six months. We walk past Lauren Mallory and her cronies. If I wasn't raised not to hit girls, I would beat the shit out of her. She doesn't even have to say anything to Bella. The effect is instantaneous. Bella shrinks into my side, and hides her face behind her hair.

"Hey Jasper! _Bella__,_" She sneers. That girl has been trying to get into my pants since freshman year. I might be a hormonal teenage boy, but I know better than to go anywhere near that disease infested cave.

"What do you want, Lauren?" I growl at her, pulling Bella closer to me.

"So, are you guys, like, dating now?" She asks, looking at us, disbelieving. I fucking wish.

"No," I say simply. Lauren's simpering smile turns malicious.

"Is that why Cullen finally dumped your frumpy ass, _Bella_. You slept with his best friend," Does she not see me standing here? Fuck. In a flash, Bella's hand snaps out, slapping Lauren across the face.

Fuck me running.

A huge grin breaks out across my face.

"Fuck off Lauren. Just because Edward and Jasper have better standard than to sleep with you, there's no need to make up shit to justify it to yourself. They just have standards," She growls.

I start to laugh uncontrollably, pulling Bella towards the box office.

"Fucking finally. I've wanted to do that for years!" She exclaims happily.

"That was fantastic. Shit, for that, I'm paying for the tickets, and whatever you want from the concession stand!" I exclaim, still laughing.

"You have yourself a deal," She grins. We queue up in the line, and I pay for both our tickets. The film is awesome, and Bella starts fucking bouncing up and down in her seat when she finds out that God is Alanis Morissette.

"Come on. I need to get you home before the Chief decides to come after me with his shotgun."

* * *

Bella

We head out into the parking lot. I'm really glad Jasper decided to drag me out of the house. I've really missed him. Since we both got into relationships, Edward or Alice has always been there. I've missed out our 'us' time. And to add the awesomeness of the night, I got to slap Lauren 'Fuckface' Mallory. Good times.

We walk out into the parking lot arm in arm. I've missed this even more. Jasper and I have always been touchy feely. And it's safe and comfortable and warm and fuck. I've missed it. I've even missed the way he smells. Like coffee and wood smoke and leather. It's the best smell in the world as far as I'm concerned.

"Fuck. Looks like there's a storm coming," I say, looking up at the sky.

"We live in the wettest place in the continental US. When isn't there a storm coming?" He asks, but pulls me close to him all the same. Jasper knows I hate thunder storms. When we were kids I used to sneak over to his house whenever there was a storm. Hell, even now, when there's a bad enough storm, I will sneak over to his house, and spend the night there. He has this way of making me feel safe and calm. Just as we get to the car, thunder rumbles, followed closely by a flash of lightning.

"Fuck, that's close," he replies, looking at the sky with a worried expression on his face.

"It'll be fine," I say, reassuring myself more than him. We climb into the car, and I start the engine. Every time the thunder sounds out, I jump a little, and every time, Jasper inches closer to me. We're about fifteen minutes from home, and by this point, Jasper has taken off his seatbelt, and is sitting with his arm slung across my shoulders.

"Fuck. Tomorrow, I swear to god, I'm taking a screw driver to this stereo and I'm getting this damn tape out of the deck," He growls. I stifle a giggle.

"Come on. Big Crash is a fucking awesome song," I grin.

"I know. But how many times have we listened to it now?" He asks. I let a laugh at his pained expression. I glance back to the road, when a loud crash makes me jump. The lightning cracks, and it seems closer than ever. Just ahead, a tree crashes into the middle of the road.

My breathing stops, and instinct takes over, I swerve the car, trying to not hit the fucking tree head on. But the rain and the crappy tires mean the car swerves violently, drifting at an alarming speed towards the tree. It happens in a split second, but time seems to stretch. Jasper's face is white as a sheet, and his fingers dig painfully into my shoulder and fuck, fuck, fuck we're about to hit the tree. On Jasper's side. No seatbelt. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

And then it happens, a painful jolt, and then we're airborne, the ground above us. Fuck. The car crashes to the ground. I'm dangling there, a sharp pain in my side and it's so damn hard to breath. And it's fuzzy. All so fuzzy. And Jasper's curled up on the roof of the car, his arm dangling out of the space that used to be my windscreen. His eyes are closed and there's blood. So much fucking blood. And shit. Fuck. I reach down my arm, stroking his hair out of his face,

"Wake up Jasper. Please. Fuck please wake up," I croak, and fuck. It hurts. So fucking bad. The music is still blaring.

And my last thought, before everything goes dark.

_Big Crash. Well that's fucking ironic._

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Fucking. Beeping. Where the fuck am I? Oh. Fuck. Pain radiates through my body. Jasper. Something to do with Jasper. I blink open my eyes. Bad idea. That's really fucking bright.

"Bella. Honey. Bella?" My dad's voice asks. He sounds tearful. That's not right. I have never seen my dad cry. What the fuck. Jasper. Jasper. Images flash through my mind. Driving. Rain. A storm. Big Crash. It all comes back. Jasper lying, broken. Fuck. Fuck

"Jasper?" I manage to croak out, my breathing getting harder and fuck.

"Calm down. He'll be okay. He's in the next room," My dad says. My heartbeat calms down a little.

"Water," I gasp. My dad hold a cup underneath my face, a straw poking out. I've been in this position enough to know not to take a huge gulp. Instead, taking a small sip, just enough to calm my throat.

"I need to see Jasper," I demand weakly, tears streaming down my face.

"Honey you need to stay in bed. You've broken your leg, and your ribs. Fuck, baby, you even punctured your lung," he says, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

"NO! I NEED TO SEE JASPER!" I yell. A nurse bustles in, holding a syringe. Fuck no. I know what that is. Sedatives. "NO. I NEED JASPER!"

I barely have time to get the sentence out before the woman injects the sedative into my I.V. No. No. And then it's dark again.

I open my eyes. My dad is curled up on one of the uncomfortable looking chair. Emmett's large frame is in the other. I clamber out of the bed. Hmm. Leg's in a cast. This is going to be fun. Thankfully it's a full leg cast. I can put a little weight on it. I swing my good leg out first, standing up. I hiss as the pain almost overwhelms me. I rip the I.V. out of my arm, hobbling to the door. I poke my head out. No nurses. Awesome. Dad says Jasper was in the next room. I hobble over, pushing open the door. Nathaniel is there, and Rose is curled up in his lap. There are tear stains down her face. Fuck. All my fault.

And then I see him. He's pale. So fucking pale. His blond hair pushed of his face. Oh god his face. Scratches and bruises litter his handsome face. I walk over.

"Jazz. Jasper?" I ask. My voice sounds weak and childlike. His eyes blink open blearily. He sends me a weary smile.

"Hey sweetheart. Shouldn't you be in bed?" I nod my head, but don't move an inch. He shuffles over, moving across the bed, before pulling his blanket back. I see that his arm is encased in a cast. Fuck. Tears start to stream down my face.

"Come on sugar," He whispers, and I move closer to his bed, before clambering in. I wrap my arm around his waist, crying into his hospital gown.

"Fuck Jazz… I'm so fucking sorry…It's all my fault," I sob.

"Don't be fucking stupid. The same thing would have happened if I'd been driving. It's not your fault. Silly girl," He whispers, pressing a kiss onto the top of my head.

"I'm so *hic* sorry," I whisper, over and over again. He tilts my head up, and I stare into his eyes.

"Listen to me, sugar. It was not your fault. Stop blaming yourself. We're okay. We're both okay. Can't say the same for your car. But we're okay," He says, a faint smile playing on his lips. I nod my head mutely.

"You know. If you were that sick of Less Than Jake, you could have just taken out the radio. You didn't have to total the entire fucking car," he smirks. I'm sorely tempted to smack him upside the head, but settle instead for a shaky laugh.

"Come on sweetheart. Let's get some sleep," He slurs a little. I nod my head, burying it into his strong chest. Underneath the disinfectant hospital smell, I find what I'm looking for. Coffee, wood smoke and leather.


	3. Chapter 3

**Fast Times At Forks High**

_September 1997_

Bella

The first day of high school. Wow. As much as I like to make fun of Emmett for failing his last year of junior high, I'm pretty thankful. Because we're here, and we're together. And while the guidance counsellor might label us as 'co-dependent', we aren't. We're family. Okay. Emmett and Rose aren't family. Cos that would be all incestuous and creepifying. We're sitting on the bed of Emmett's truck. Rose and Emmett are getting all romantic and whatnot. Man. Those two should come with an Adult Content warning. I'm leaning against Jasper, reading, while Jazz sits and attempts to doodle with one arm wrapped around my waist. I glance over at the artwork and giggle at the cartoon of Emmett and Rose.

"You better hide that. Rose will smack you upside the head," I whisper to him. He grins. I glance out across the parking lot. Lauren Mallory is whispering to her little bitchy group of friends. They're staring at us. Well. They're staring at Jasper. They know better than to stare at Emmett. Rose might look like angel, but she fights like a prison convict. Lauren found this out during the summer when she hit on Em. I'm pretty sure that scar on her eyebrow will be permanent. She's making googly eyes at Jasper. I dig him in the ribs, and his eyes shoot up to mine. I indicate over to Lauren. He looks, but simply rolls his eyes, before pulling me closer to him. Lauren shoots me a glare and if looks could kill, I'd be well and truly fucked. I can't really blame her though. Over the summer Jasper has grown from the lanky, geeky boy I grew up with. He's grown an extra few inches, and he's gained muscle mass. Not as bad as Emmett, who's looked like a body builder since he was 13, but that's neither here nor there. I continue my perusal of the students, when I notice something.

"Hey. Does anyone know those two?" I ask the others. Emmett and Rose rise for air, and they all look in the direction I'm staring.

"Nope."

"No."

"Don't think so."

I continue to watch the two. A small, beautiful girl is heading towards us. She is dragging behind her a lanky boy. He's breathtakingly pretty. He's also caught Lauren's eye. Poor fool. She is really tiny. Short, inky black hair frame her face, and her tiny, pixie like body moves with a grace that makes me ache with jealousy. Her face is etched with pure determination.

They boy looks uncomfortable, and somewhat unwilling to follow the tiny Tasmanian devil that is dragging him forward. Messy copper colored hair adorns his head, and I can make out his brilliant green eyes from here. Wow.

"This feels like something from the Outsiders," I whisper to Jazz.

"Be cool Sodapop," He whispers back. And then there upon us. Or rather, the tiny pixie is upon us. As soon as she releases his hand, the bronze haired boy halts, looking wary. Wow. She must be abnormally strong.

Pixie-Stick jumps at me, and I tense, before realizing… Is she… yep… she's hugging me. Before I can really register it, she has released me, moving to hug Jasper. I'm pretty sure his shocked expression mirror's mine. Then she hugs Rose. Wow. Brave girl. Then Emmett. It's almost comedic, the difference in size.

I turn to the bronze haired boy. He is looking at the pixie with a look of both extreme irritation and fondness. Stranger and stranger.

"Hi! I'm Alice, and this is Edward. We're going to be the very best of friends! I just know it!" She exclaims, in a bell like voice. Edward simply laughs at his friend. I feel my face break out into a smile at her exuberance. I glance at my best friends and my brother. Jasper looks stunned but amused, Rose looks somewhat concerned, but is fighting a smile. Emmett simply grins at Alice.

Well. Dad did say the first day of high school would be interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks For Leaving Me**

_**October 1993**_

Jasper

11pm

I can't do anything. Nothing. I wish I could help. Emmett's just... There aren't words. He's not really Emmett anymore. They only person he really talks to is Rosalie. Charlie has buried himself in work. I can't really blame him. His wife has left. She left in the middle of the night, with just a note to explain her absence. If I should blame anyone, it's Renee. I can't believe she'd do that. I can't believe she'd do this to Bella. The thought makes me so angry that I slam my fist into the wall. It hurts, but I leave a decent dent in the wall. I glance out of my bedroom window. From here I can see straight into Bella's room. She's curled up in a ball. I know she's not asleep. I haven't talked to her in a week. And she's always crying. I just want to… Do something. Anything.

With that thought in mind, I climb slide the window open. Emmett and I spent last summer figuring out the best way to climb both the tree outside of my room, and the tree outside of Bella's. I jump from my window ledge, my hands grasping the branch. I swing myself up, before leaping to a lower branch. I repeat the process till I'm at the lowest branch. I glance down. Huh. I should have grabbed my sneakers. I jump to the soft earth below, landing with a dull thud. Running across the dark and abandoned street, I find myself at the bottom of the tree outside of Bella's window. Huh. This reminds me of the book Bella made me read last year. Romeo and Juliet. But I'm pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate the joke at this moment in time.

I scale the tree, scratching myself on a few of the limbs. Finally, I'm outside her window. I can see her shaking body, lying on top of the covers. I tap lightly on the window, and she jumps, before scrambling out of her bed and towards the window. She pulls the creaky window open. Her face is shocked and tear-stained in the moonlight.

"Jazz. What are you doing?" She whispers.

"I came to see you. Now move, before I fall out of the tree," I whisper back. She backs away from the window, and I leap over to the edge, before tumbling into the room. At least Charlie isn't here. Pretty sure he'd be in here with his shotgun right now.

"Jazz. What… what are you doing?" She asks, voice teary. It feels like something breaking in my chest to see her looking so broken. I jump over to her, enveloping her in my arms. She starts to sob, and I pull her over to her bed, pulling the covers over both of us. I whisper soft reassurances into her hair as she breaks down.

"What if it's my fault?" She whispers, voice breaking as she reveals her secret fears "What if I wasn't good enough? Or clever enough?" She cries.

"Silly girl, that's ridiculous. She didn't leave because of you. She left because of her. There wasn't anything you could have done. It's not your fault. And if you keep thinking that, I'll have Rose kick your ass!" She giggles weakly at my threat. She looks up at me, conflicted.

"I'm sorry I disappeared Jazz. I just felt… like I wasn't good enough."

"Silly girl. I nearly broke my neck, twice, climbing up that stupid tree. But I'd do it again. It was worth it. Your worth it," I whisper, pulling her to me, so her arm dangles over my chest.

"Thanks Jazz. Love you."

"Love you too sugar,'" I whisper into her hair.

She falls asleep in my arms. The next day, she's a little bit better. I climb into her window the next night. And the day after that, she's a little bit better than the day before.

I climb that godforsaken tree every night for a month. And each day she gets better.


	5. Chapter 5

**How Jazz and Bells Got Their Ink On**

_**September 14**__**th**__** 2001**_

Bella

I wake up. Ow. Why did I agree to that party? Stupid Alice and her stupid plans.

"Argh!" I groan. A hand clamps over my mouth.

"Shh woman. Stop shouting," Jasper croaks. Well. At least I'm not the only one with a monster fucking hangover.

"Well. That was a stupid fucking idea."

"Alice's ideas usually are," He whispers "I need water. And really greasy food," he groans, lifting himself from my bed.

My stomach revolts at the idea of greasy food, and I bolt to the bathroom. I pray to the porcelain gods. Someone pulls my hair back, and strong hands run soothing patterns down my back. When I'm sure that my stomach is empty, I collapse against him.

"Well that's really fucking attractive Swan," Jasper snickers, his chest vibrating with his laughter.

"Fuck you Whitlock," I snarl. He mumbles something, before pulling me up, grabbing the mouthwash from the bathroom cabinet. He fills up the little cup, handing it to me, before taking a swig straight from the bottle. We both gargle the minty liquid, before spitting it into the sink. It's very… domestic.

"Come on. I'll make you some dry toast," He says, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"You'll do no such thing. I like my kitchen. I don't need you burning it to the ground,"

We wander downstairs, and I pull out eggs and turkey bacon. Charlie has high cholesterol, and since he didn't want to completely give up bacon, he had to make a compromise. Turns out, he barely ever gets any of it. Jasper and Emmett inhale the stuff like its air.

"Awesome! I have I mentioned lately that I love you," he says. I let out a laugh.

"Not lately, but I know you do. Who else supplies the turkey bacon?" I laugh.

"My mom tried, but she cremated it," He grumbles. I crack the eggs into the frying pan, and add the bacon. Jasper wraps his arms around me, placing his chin onto my shoulder.

"You smell really good. Like strawberries," He says.

"I'm pretty sure right now, I smell like beer and bacon," I reply with a laugh.

"Two of men's favorite things. Bottle that fragrance, you'll make a million," He laughs gleefully.

We spend the rest of the day milling around the house. Jasper picks up my crappy acoustic guitar, and begins playing. The songs morph into each other, and eventually he begins to play a song that I don't recognize. It's beautiful, sweet but slightly melancholic.

"What's this? I don't recognize it" I ask. Jasper looks startled, almost shocked that he's playing the song at all.

"Erm. Well. I wrote it. I wanted to write you a song for your birthday. I couldn't get it quite right though," He whispers.

"It's beautiful," I tell him. And it is. It's raw, but it's powerful. An idea floats to my head. "I have an idea."

"Do tell," He replies.

"Do you have the song written down anywhere?" I ask. He nods his head.

"It's in my room."

"Go get it. Take a shower. You smell like ass, dude," I grin. He sticks his tongue out, before jogging to the front door. I run up stairs, jumping into the shower.

Ten minutes later, I've tied my hair back, and pulled on a pair of jeans and a vest top. My damp hair is pulled up in a knot on my head.

"You get it?" I ask. He nods his head, handing over the sheet music.

"Come on," I say, grabbing his hand and dragging me towards my monstrosity of a truck. Every few minutes I glance towards Jasper. It's become a habit. Making sure he's safe, and that his seatbelt is on. I know it makes him feel like a misbehaving five year old, but I can't help it. His left arm is exposed, and I can see the faint silvery scars that run down his arm. They are from the broken glass of my windshield. Each time I see them I feel so fucking weighed down with guilt that it feels like it's tugging on my soul.

The drive to Port Angeles always does this. It's even worse when it's just the two of us. Even a year on, and the skid marks are still there. Both Jasper and I tense as I drive past it at a snail's pace.

After what seems like a life time, we pull up outside my destination. Jasper's jaw drops open. The face is almost comical.

"A tattoo parlor? Are you fucking kidding me? Charlie will shoot you! Charlie will shoot me! Fuck no!" He yells.

"Well, unless you feel like physically restraining me, you have no choice," I grin. A wicked gleam runs through his eyes.

"I have no problem with that," He smirks.

"Gotta catch me first cowboy," I smirk, before darting out of the cab of the truck. I run into the tattoo parlor, the sheet music still clutched in my hand. A tall, scary looking dude with a face that has more holes than a sieve greets me.

"What can I do for you kid?" He asks, looking at me speculatively.

"A tattoo," I reply.

"I'm going to need some I.D. sweetheart," he replies. I can't really blame him. I look about 13. Just as I hand him my driver's license, Jasper bursts through the door.

"Fuck sugar, when did you get so fast?"

"I've always been fast, it's just the whole tripping-over-thin-air thing that slows me down," I smirk back.

"So what tattoo do you want, Isabella Swan?" the tattoo dude asks. I hand him the sheet music.

"The first bar of this, on my right wrist," I tell him.

"Well, I've got no appointments, so I can do it right now," he says, nodding his head.

"Bella! Think about this! Please?" Jasper practically begs.

"I have. I wanted a tattoo for a while, but didn't want anything generic. This is perfect," I tell him. He considers this for a moment, before turning to the guy.

"Do you have time to do two of them?" He asks. The guy nods his head, before leading us to the chair. Fuck. Okay. I'm a little nervous now. Jasper takes a seat next to me, and grabs my hand.

The tattoo artist quickly designs the stencil. He does a slightly different version for Jazz, making the design more bold and masculine. We both agree to the designs, and the artist sets to work.

Two hours later, we emerge freshly inked. Jasper turns to look at me. He stares into my face for a second, before breaking out in a grin.

"If Charlie asks, you knocked me out. Then tattooed me while I was unconscious," he says. I grin at him.

"Nah. I'll just tell him you got me drunk and convinced me to get a tattoo," I grin. His eyes widen in fear. I burst out laughing. "Jesus Whitlock, calm the fuck down. Just put a watch over the tattoo," I explain. We climb into my truck.

"Jazz?"

"Yeah sweetheart?"

"I'm really glad you got the tattoo as well," I smile at him. He smiles, before pulling me into a one armed hug.

"Me too sugar. Me too."

"Okay. No put your seatbelt on," I demand, before starting the engine. He rolls his eyes, but does as he's told.

I trace the slightly painful tattoo that now adorns my wrist, smiling as I gun the engine. This was a good birthday.


	6. Chapter 6

**Love Is The New Feel Awful**

_**May 1999**_

Jasper

I'm leaning against my headboard. Bella is dancing round her room to Nirvana. My Riot Grrrl best friend. She's something else entirely. Her tiny body bounces around the room, and I laugh. She's wearing a tiny pair of boy shorts and a tank top. She's ridiculously fucking cute. That's a lie. She's fucking beautiful. All dark doe eyes and shiny hair. What? Don't judge me. I'm a sixteen year old boy, and my best friend is fucking angel. Plain and simple.

She glances out of her window, and sees me watching her. In seconds, her entire face is bright red. Not just her face. Her chest flames red as well. She glares at me, before grabbing the phone from desk. Seconds later the private line rings and I grab it before my parents wake up.

"Hey neighbor," I smirk, walking over to the windowsill and sitting down.

"Hey perv," She laughs, mirroring me. I let out a bark of laughter, and she flips me off.

"You love me."

"I do, but that's not the point. Why were you watching me?" She glares.

"I'm a teenage male. We see hot girls dancing round in their underwear, we stop and look," Her face practically glows she's blushing so hard.

"I…wha…nyeh…I'm not in my underwear!" She screeches. I laugh so hard I almost fall out the fucking window. This sets her off and soon we're giggling like school kids.

"Ahh. Thanks for that. I needed a laugh," She replies down the phone.

"Why, what's up?"

"Nothing. Well. Edward's been acting weird. Did I do something to piss him off?" She asks, looking distressed

"Not that he's mentioned to me. You know what Cullen's like. He's a moody little biatch," I smirk.

"So your answer is he's just PMSing?"

"Pretty much," I nod. She laughs.

"Your probably right," She giggles.

"Ignore him for a while, and he'll be back to his fun loving self soon enough."

"I can't believe you just described Edward Cullen as 'Fun Loving'. That's illogical at the very least."

"Alright, Spock, I was trying to make you feel better. He'll be his usual, slightly less moody self soon enough."

"Alright. I gotta get some sleep. Night stalker boy," She laughs down the phone.

"Night sweetheart," I hang up the phone before crawling back into my bed. But I can't stop thinking. About Bella. The way she laughs. And dances round the room. And can cheer me up no matter what. The way her body seems to fit so perfectly against mine when she climbs into my room on stormy nights. Which reminds me, I really should just give her a fucking key.

* * *

I bolt up from my bed. Fuck. It was a dream. It was just a dream. My heart sinks at the thought. But. Fuck. It was so perfect. And she was so perfect. Fuck. I have to calm myself from fucking sobbing at the thought that it was just a dream. I clamber out of bed, pulling on my jeans and a shirt, as well as my ratty converse. I stomp downstairs, and grab an apple. Rosalie walks in, takes once glance at me and stops dead in her tracks.

"What the fuck happened?" She asks, shock on her face. Stupid fucking twin.

"Nothing," I growl at her. She arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow at me "Okay. Something. But I don't want to talk about. If I need to, I'll talk to you," She nods her head "Hey, can I get a ride to school with you today?" I ask. She stares at me and her eyes widen to a comically large size.

"Yeah. Sure."

Twenty minutes later I'm climbing into Rose's car. Bella is standing next to her truck and sends me an incredulous look when I send her a wave before sliding in next to my sister. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Sure you don't want to talk about it?" Rose asks.

"Positive."

We pull up at school, and I head straight inside, trying to avoid Bella. At least until I can figure out what the fuck is going on in my head.

That doesn't last long, and during 3rd Period I sit behind her. And all I can focus on is the smell of her shampoo and the way she moves and fidgets.

Fuck.

"So. What was up with you this morning?" She asks as we head toward the cafeteria.

"Nothing. Just needed to talk to Rose," I lie blatantly. Ahh well. The sunshine's down on u, illuminating the red hue in her hair. It whips around her face with the breeze, and I catch a strand, wrapping it pushing it gently behind her ear. She grins at me, and I push the cafeteria door open. We grab lunch, arriving before the rest of the gang. We sit down, and she purposely bumps into me, and I have to resist the urge to pull her back to me and kiss her. The other's come in, and I finally realize what Bella is talking about in regards to Edward. He's acting nervous and jittery and entirely unlike his usual cool, calm and collected demeanor. Finally, about five minutes before the end lunch period he turns to her.

"Hey Bella. Can I talk to you before Biology?" He asks nervously. Well fuck me sideways. Edward Cullen is nervous.

"Sure Edward," She smiles.

Alice looks on, worry playing across her features. We have Spanish next, and head out towards the prefab at the back of the cafeteria. Alice seems reluctant, and keeps trying to stall. Crazy pixie mess.

And then I see them. Edward and Bella. Him planting a gentle kiss on her lips. Her giggling softly. And then he takes her hand and leads her towards the science building. And I feel a fucking fault line rip through my heart. Tiny hands grab my arm, leading me towards the bright yellow Porsche. I will never understand her need for a yellow fucking car.

"Come on. We need to get very, very drunk," Her tiny voice demands, before shoving me bodily into the passenger seat of the car.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Pact**

_**May 1999**_

Jasper

Drunk doesn't quite describe the state I'm in now. Not even close. Everything is a little fuzzy around the edges. I'm lying sprawled across Alice's bedroom floor. It looks like Barbie threw up in here. All pink frills and canopy bed. I know Alice hates it. She has better taste than this. I stare up at the dusty pink ceiling, Alice's head resting on my stomach.

"We need more vodka," She whispers, attempting to sit up.

"No. I think, at this point, we need water," I reply. She groans, and instead drops her head back to my stomach.

"So. Wanna tell me what happened earlier?" She asks.

"I think I'm in love with Bella," I say immediately. There's never been any point in lying to Alice. She can read me like an open book. And unlike Rosie, she refuses to drop something.

"Huh. I think I like girls," She replies. Well fuck.

"Huh."

"So. Bella and Edward," She says, staring off.

"Yep. To be honest, if any of our gang were going to end up being gay, I would have but money on Eddie boy. You're not butch enough shortcake," I say, causing Alice to giggle. She sits up,

"Hey Jazz. I want to try something. Sit up a second," I do as I'm told, sitting Indian style. She climbs into my lap, her tiny hands entwining in my hair, before pressing her lips to mine. Our mouths move in synchronicity, and after a few seconds Alice pulls away.

"Huh," Is my eloquent reply.

"Yeah. That was… weird," She replies, before climbing off my lap.

"Yeah. That's definitely one word to describe it," I reply, lying back across the thick carpet.

"So. You like Bella," She says simply

"And you like girls," I reply

"I don't want to like girls. My parents are going to kill me," She whispers, her voice fearful.

"I don't want to love Bella. She's my best friend," I reply.

"I've just realized something. We're 5th and 6th wheels," Alice replies, sounding a little disgusted.

"It would seem so."

"Hey, Jazz?" She asks, nervously.

"Yeah sweetheart?"

"Would you be my boyfriend?" I consider it for a moment.

"Why would you want to go out with me?" I ask.

"Because you're the best guy I know. And I do love you. And I don't really mind if you love Bella," She replies succinctly. I think.

"Okay," I reply. Alice's head returns to my stomach, and we both stare again at the dusty pink ceiling.

"Okay."


End file.
